The Hero Arrives

We were on guard at the entrance in preparation for the dungeon's transition phase that shouldn't actually be happening. Truly pointless.

That said, only dungeon-related personnel knew that fact. The Adventurer Guild was very seriously constructing barricades, restricting dungeon entry while maintaining lookouts at the entrance and conducting investigations inside the dungeon.

Although they were rotating in small numbers, a decent number of skilled adventurers capable of handling any emergencies were staying at the inn, which meant increased income for me. I was pretty happy about that.

And so today, I was once again on lookout duty at the entrance with the C-Rank adventurer Gozoh. We're completely used to this by now.

"Something that's changed… it's just that jellies have started appearing, right? Isn't that fine?"

"Kehma, even jellies that are normally ignored monsters are a big deal when they suddenly start appearing in a dungeon, you know?"

"… Hey Gozoh. Can I go to sleep?"

"No way, Kehma. You're C-Rank limited to this dungeon. If the situation changes, your C-Rank might get revoked. Keep watch properly."

I know, right? But knowing what's really going on behind the scenes, I just can't muster any tension. I know there's no need to be stressed.

"Speaking of which, what happened with the smithy?"

"Kantra? He should be up and running soon. Those eggshells you gave him were apparently quite the rare material."

"… Oh, is that so? I originally got those from Haku-san though."

Phoenix eggshells do have excellent fire resistance after all. Since it'd be troublesome if they asked where I got them, I'll just chalk this up to Haku-san's doing too. Gozoh also seemed convinced, saying "An A-Rank adventurer… as expected."

Oh, we also made a whole phoenix eggshell oven at our place, just for fun. It ended up with needlessly excellent performance, and Kinue-san, our housework-loving silky girl, was delighted. She said you could roast meat to juicy perfection with just a little flame. Apparently it burns easily if you let your guard down, but she was fired up about that being a test of skill.

"Then once the furnace is ready, maybe I'll have him make a kitchen knife. For Kinue-san's personal use."

"Oh? A present for that pretty light-green Nee-chan! I was sure Kehma only had a thing for little girls, but you're properly interested in grown women too! Gahaha!"

How rude. I have a foot fetish, but I'm not a lolicon. I do have a foot fetish though. I'm a proper gentleman who doesn't use his master authority to demand stockings. Those three girls' feet all look deliciou—ahem. They have good shapes, so if I weren't a gentleman, things would've gotten serious by now.

"That Nee-chan makes the inn's food, right? If a cook who can make such delicious food needs a kitchen knife, Kantra would definitely be fired up about it."

"I hope so. Ah, how much do kitchen knives cost? Can I afford one?"

"If you bring him an iron golem, he'd make one easily with room to spare. I could help out too, you know? As a favor. Specifically, start stocking alcohol at the inn."

"You really want to drink that badly… Drunks cause a lot of problems, I don't want to deal with them at the inn. Have the guild build a bar."

"Even if they started building a bar now, who knows when I'd be able to drink. How many days does it even take to build a bar anyway?"

"Ahh, then I'll ask the mage who built the inn overnight to build a bar too. It'll cost money though."

"… Yeah, he did expand it before anyone noticed. That's one of the [Cave of Desires]' Seven Mysteries, you know."

What's this about Seven Mysteries? This is the first I've heard of it.

"Hm? You didn't know? You're included too, as [The Adventurer Who Stays Long-Term Without Working]."

"Hey, what are the other five?"

"Besides [The Inn That Expanded Overnight] and [The Non-Working Adventurer], there's [The Power Spot Favored by an A-Rank Adventurer], [The Little Girl Owner], [The Hot Spring Feels Amazing], and also [The Illusory S-Rank Meal] and [The Hardworking Golems] I think?"

All seven mysteries are about our inn! And [The Hot Spring Feels Amazing] isn't even a mystery, it's just an impression!

"Also Kehma, I heard that little girl owner makes a lot of night visits to your room? There's even a rumor that you're freeloading long-term as the little girl owner's kept man."

"Hey, don't say scary things like that, Haku-san would kill me. That's absolutely not true!"

"Hmm? But Kehma, you're a man too, don't you have… urges building up?"

"Unfortunately for you, I specialize in the desire for sleep."

Actually, maybe it's because I became a Dungeon Master, but I don't really get in the mood for erotic things anymore. It's been like that especially since Ichika joined, I think. Before that, I was desperately holding back from getting aroused by Rokuko and Niku's feet. Well, I still end up staring at them though.

If I can conquer my appetite at this rate, I'll surely be able to continue indulging in nothing but laziness.

"Ah, come to think of it, there's also that dog-eared Jou-chan… so you don't have anything to worry about then?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got nothing to worry about since Niku's there."

I'm not some pervert who gets aroused in front of a little girl. As long as Niku is watching over me, I won't become a pervert. So there's nothing to worry about.

"No, but isn't the burden on that dog-eared Jou-chan pretty heavy?"

"She pouts if we don't sleep together, so I don't think she hates it."

"… I see, she's really attached to you then. Take good care of her, alright?"

"Of course."

While having such conversations, we continued keeping watch for monsters that would never appear.

Even though I'm just sitting on lookout duty, it's quite tiring. When work was over, I returned to my room and immediately went to sleep. That kind of routine continued for a while.

And today, that came to an end. After a week of vigilance with no changes, they concluded it was probably safe, and the entry restrictions were lifted.

"… Hah, finally I can take it easy and rest…"

I returned to my room at the inn. Surrendering myself to fatigue, I collapsed onto my futon… Ahhhh, now to sleep.

Oh, [Purify] first… yep, magic sure is convenient.

"Kehma, I finished my dungeon!"

"Oooh, can I see it after I sleep?"

"… Sleep or my dungeon, which is more important to you?!"

"Sleep… Sleep!"

"Guh, you said it twice?! Hmph, fine then, I'll show you tomorrow. You'll be amazed!"

Of course. Sleep is one of humanity's three great desires, you know. Obviously sleep is more important.

Sleep! I'm going to sleeeep! snore…

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

The next morning, Rokuko burst into my room, throwing open the door with a bang!

"Kehma, it's morning! Wake up!"

"Morning huh… time to sleep then… zzz"

"Humans wake up in the morning, you know. Wait, that's not the point right now. The hero's here, the hero!"

"The hero huh… Okay, I get it, I'll wake up. So just five more minutes…"

"Wake up already! The hero's here, I said! He's at the Adventurer Guild branch office right now but he'll be here soon!"

Rokuko slapped me repeatedly through the blanket. It didn't really hurt, but it was noisy.

Can't be helped, guess I'll get up… sounds like the hero is here after all.

"Fuaaah, haah, can't be helped. So, the hero huh. Let me see."

I opened the map and looked at the Adventurer Guild branch office. Checking the DP income… a whopping 1,000 DP per day. So this is a hero? He's on a completely different level. Making me want him to stay longer despite wanting him to leave quickly—what an unfair guy.

"… So, what do we do?"

"Nothing we can do, when he comes to the inn, we just do our regular inn work. Same as always."

I opened a monitor from the floating menu in the air to check the hero's appearance.

A black-haired man with short hair. Asian in appearance, probably Japanese. Three years since he was summoned to this other world—that makes him quite the veteran compared to me… Still, since I could tell he was Japanese just by looking at him, if he saw me, he'd probably immediately know I'm Japanese too.

"I'd better avoid meeting him if possible, so I'll stay in my room sleeping. Just treat him like any other adventurer… Say the meal recipes and how to play cards came from things left by previous heroes that Haku-san gave us, and that Kinue-san prepared the food. That's it, I'm going to sleep. Rokuko, I'll leave the rest to you."

"U-understood. Basically same as usual, right? Leave it to me!"

Rokuko hurriedly left the room… Good, time for a second sleep.

Then, just as I started dozing off in my futon, Rokuko burst into my room again with a bang!

"It's an emergency, Kehma! The hero wants to stay in the suite! And he wants the A-Rank meal!"

"… The suite was supposed to be reserved for Haku-san, but well, as an inn we can't refuse if he pays the lodging fee… As for the kid's meal… yeah, it's fine. Just serve it as is."

"Understood, but we don't have to eat together with him, right? That's a special service limited to Haku-neesama."

"Mm, right. Well then, I'll be sleeping in my room to avoid meeting the hero."

After seeing Rokuko off, I lay down again. Time for a proper second sleep this time.

Then, just as I started dozing off in my futon, Rokuko burst into my room yet again with a KABOOM, breaking the door!

"I-it's an emergency, Kehma!"

"Hey, the door. Hey. Don't kick down my door. I'm the one who has to fix it."

"You can fix it right away anyway!"

"Well, I can but… So, what is it? Did something happen that you can't handle without me?"

When I asked Rokuko while getting out of my futon to fix the door, Rokuko's face turned bright red as if remembering something, and she stood knock-kneed with downcast eyes—fidgeting, she said:

"The hero… p-p-p-proposed to me! Wh-what should I do, Kehma?"

… Excuse me?